


One Bed, Two Cowboys

by demoniccattus



Category: Rawhide (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29129190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demoniccattus/pseuds/demoniccattus
Summary: After the drovers seek shelter in a nearby town from a night storm, Gil and Rowdy are left without a (separate) place to sleep.
Relationships: Gil Favor/Rowdy Yates
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	One Bed, Two Cowboys

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last year in the midst of my Rawhide obsession. Sharing a bed is simply the best trope!! I had a lot of fun writing in a western setting, too.
> 
> In case you don't know, johns (or long johns) are what cowboys wore under their clothes as a sort of underwear. In this case, they are both wearing full long johns (not half-johns) with long sleeves and buttons up to their collar.

It was late in the day; the dust settled around Rowdy’s horse. He gazed past the herd of cattle, the sky dark and bruised in the distance, and rode to the front of the herd to see his trail boss.

  
“Don’t like the look of those clouds, Mr. Favor.”

  
“Yeup. I don’t think it’d be wise to get everyone sick as a dog in the rain, so I’m guessin’ we’ll ride into the town just a few miles off-trail and get everyone, uh, boarded up.” Gil shifted his hat up, eyeing the horizon.

  
“Fort Maggie? But what about the cattle, sir?”

  
Gil looked at him. “Oh, they won’t go far in such a storm. We’re near the mountains anyway, so that’ll keep ‘em rounded up, in a way.”

  
Rowdy shrugged and rounded his horse to tell the others they’d be sleepin’ in a bed tonight. He grinned just thinking about it--after bein’ on the trail for months, a nice soft place to lie his head (even in a cheap place like a saloon) seemed like heaven.

-~-~-

The night was raucous and wild as the cowhands celebrated their good luck. They drank at the saloon with abandon, swinging ladies ‘round to the piano and barely avoiding fist fights with the locals. As the party began to wind down, Gil gathered the group around him. Pete still had a girl on his arm, and Rowdy had found a friend from the army who had moved out to Fort Maggie recently. There was thunder outside.

  
Gil spoke commandingly, “Now boys, I spoke with the owner. He says they’ve only got room for 10 boarders like us, each of you to your own room. That leaves two of us with nowhere to sleep. I can find another place around town myself. Which one of you fellas is willing to give up your bed?”

  
“I’ll go, Boss. I don’t mind,” Rowdy spoke up after a moment’s silence. “I actually met up with my old pal Buck, says he’s got a house here now. Might have a couple of rooms for us if I ask.”

  
Buck poked his head into the conversation. “Well sure I’ve got a place for ya! Me and the missus’d be happy to help. I’ll take ya both back once we head out.” He grinned.

  
Gil nodded, thanked Buck, and raised his eyebrows at Rowdy before pushing himself up from the table to pay the tab with the barman.

  
At some point during the celebrations the storm had finally come. The crew filtered out of the bar area and quickly around the side of the saloon to the accommodations to avoid getting wet. As Rowdy and Gil were the last out, Buck picked himself off the pole he was leaning on and put his hands on his hips. He wasn’t much older than Rowdy and had brown hair and a jolly beard. Rowdy wondered if he had a family on the way and felt a pang of longing for his own family back home. It was just his ma and pa, but it was all he had. That and well, the herd, he supposed. A woman would be nice, too...

  
“Follow me, fellers!” Buck was obviously tipsy, but he confidently stepped out into the pelting rain. Rowdy and Gil shared a grimace before pushing their hats on and hustling after Buck to his home.

  
The walk wasn’t too long, but the rain was so torrential that by the time they were on the front porch, they were like drowned rats.

  
Buck unlocked the front door and a woman came out from the darkness holding a candle.

  
“Oh dear, who have you brought home now?” She leaned to see over Buck’s shoulder. “Stay where you are! I’m bringing towels!”

  
Rowdy shivered and rubbed his arms. The woman returned with three warm towels the two cowhands and Buck gratefully accepted.

  
“This is my wife, Sylvia. She’s the most amazin’ woman I ever met,” Buck said, holding her with one arm around the waist. “And Sylvia, this is my old friend Rowdy Yates from the army. Who’s your friend Rowdy?”

  
Rowdy paused drying his face and motioned to Gil. “This is Mr. Gil Favor, my trail boss. We have a herd a couple miles from here.” It was rare that Rowdy got to introduce Gil rather than the other way around. He smirked to himself.

  
“Pleasure to meet'cha,” Gil said, towelling his hair.

  
“Sorry to intrude on your home like this, ma’am,” Rowdy said.

  
“Yea, Sylvia, I told them they could stay in the guest bedroom since they ain't got nowhere else t’ go in this awful rain.”

  
Bedroom? Rowdy thought. They must have more than one bed in there. It’s probably more respectful to guests that way. He nodded to himself.

  
“Oh, of course! Let me go check the linens, and then you’ll be able to settle. I’m sure you’ve both had such a long day out there! You know, Buck thought he wanted to be a cattle driver for a while there…” She continued chatting while the others waited patiently outside. After a couple moments she came back out and brushed off her apron. “All set! I hope you two don’t mind, but there’s only one double bed. It’s big enough to fit two right? Though you are both pretty darn tall…” She sized them up as Rowdy looked to Gil, who wasn’t looking the least disturbed. Wasn’t he gonna say something?!

  
“We’ll work it out. Thanks, Mrs. Sylvia.” Gil nodded. “We’ll be going straight to bed, so g’night.”

  
“G’night!” The couple chorused. They headed into their own room and Gil walked into his.

  
Rowdy followed Gil into the guest bedroom and, sure enough, there was just the one bed, headboard against the left wall with two widows on the north and east walls. There was even a quaint wooden dresser and side table set. Rowdy couldn’t believe it. Another night on the floor.

  
“It’s okay Mr. Favor, I can sleep on the floor. You take the bed.” He really didn’t want to, but how could he make his trail boss sleep on the floor? He already had a lot on his shoulders.

  
“That won’t be necessary,” Gil said, undoing his gun belt.

  
“But Mr. Favor--”

  
Gil cut him off. “Let’s face it Rowdy, we need this bedrest. We’ve all been tired for weeks, and if we go much longer, I’d start to worry ‘bout illness.”

  
There ain’t no fightin’ Mr. Favor after he’d made his word. Rowdy mumbled an “Alright…” but he still felt awkward as he also took off his belt. He wanted to sit on the bed, but his chaps were soaked through and so were his jeans. He checked on Gil again; he had shrugged off his vest and was now unbuttoning his shirt.

  
“Mr. Favor…?”

  
“Down to the johns, Rowdy. Else we’ll still be wet in the morning.” His voice was firm.

  
Rowdy was still in disbelief about the entire situation, but he had no intention of sleeping in his water-logged outfit either, so he brushed off his embarrassment. Rowdy began to remove his own vest, but his eyes found themselves locked onto Gil’s hands, following them as they little by little revealed his chest underneath the dark blue cotton button-up he wore every day. Under that layer the buttons of his cream-colored johns were undone, casually exposing his chest. Gil caught his stare and raised an eyebrow, making Rowdy sheepishly turn around to give Gil his privacy. He hastily shucked off his soggy outer layers and sat on the edge of the bed facing the north window. It was still pouring outside.

  
Rowdy only ever slept in his johns with a woman. It shouldn't be such a big deal because Mr. Favor is a man, but somehow he couldn't help thinking of it in the same context. His face was heated up but the chill of the night still found its way into the room and made him shiver. Suddenly he felt the weight of a knitted blanket on his shoulders. Rowdy turned around to see Mr. Favor in the glow of the candle.

  
“...You looked cold.” Gil shrugged with a half-smile and sat on the bed, propping up the pillows to sit against the headboard. Rowdy gulped as this all started to feel kinda romantic somehow...but he pushed those thoughts away quickly.

  
Rowdy saw all of Gil’s belongings were folded on the dresser and looked back at his own mess of garments on the floor. He’d deal with them in the morning. Rowdy heard Gil light a cigarette.

  
“Pete sure looked happy as a clam tonight at the saloon.” Rowdy said in a way that he hoped was conversational.

  
“Yeup.”

  
“He always goes for the blondes.” Rowdy turned to face Gil and layed down towards the foot of the bed with a hand propping up his head, “What about you, Mr. Favor? I ain’t ever seen you pick up a lady at a bar before.”

  
Gil searched Rowdy’s face for a quiet moment before answering.

“I ain’t ever seen one I wanted much, I guess. Not since my wife passed.”

  
“Oh, yeah.” Rowdy felt a little sorry for bringing it up. But shouldn’t a man like Gil deserve another great woman? “Well, maybe you just haven’t found the right one. Maybe if you describe ‘em to me I’ll keep my eyes open for ya, boss.”

  
Gil breathed out smoke and frowned, his free hand crossing over his chest. “I dunno...blue eyes. Dimples. Good with horses ‘d be nice.”

  
Rowdy rolled his eyes and smiled. “Mr. Favor I’m sure I meet a girl like that in every town we go through. But I’ll keep lookin’ anyways.”

  
Gil furrowed his brow, and then turned and stubbed out his cigarette on the bedside ashtray. “I’m goin’ t’ sleep, and you had better, too. Early rise in the mornin’.” He said as he lifted the covers to get underneath them.

  
“Right.” As Gil turned out the light, Rowdy discarded his throw blanket at the foot, crawled to the head of the bed, and shimmied underneath the covers. It was already much warmer with Gil next to him. It was just going to be one night, right? And Rowdy slept like a log most nights since trail work was so tiresome; it’ll be like Mr. Favor wasn’t even there.

  
Just as Rowdy was settling into the blessed mattress, he realized that he almost always put his bedroll by Mr. Favor’s anyway: for the sake of convenience in case something went wrong in the night. Under the covers, feeling Gil’s shared body heat just to his side, their shoulders almost brushing--this was completely different. Rowdy looked to his right where Gil was lying. He seemed so vulnerable, somehow. No hand on his holster or hat over his eyes, just Gil.

  
After studying him for a moment or two, Rowdy turned on his left side to face outwards, and easily drifted off, his mind full of thoughts about his trail boss.

Rowdy had a dream. There was a woman in his bed, and her back was snuggled into his front as he wrapped an arm around her. She felt awfully wide, but he didn’t mind. He felt up and down her front, her body soft and her smell so familiar. Rowdy smiled into her hair and stirred, fluttering open his eyes...to realize it was Mr. Favor he was holding onto from behind. He started, but was careful not to move so that he didn’t wake him.

  
How did it end up like this?! Rowdy realized now that the scent he had been revelling in was at the nape of Gil’s neck, musky, but also warm and earthy and like dust and the trail at night. The smell made his heart beat faster and he clemently clutched the front of Gil’s long johns, which were more than a few buttons open from the top. Curious, he shifted his hand up from his stomach and smoothed his palm against the center of Gil’s bare chest, a feeling unimaginable for Rowdy. Fuzzy and unlike any (woman’s) chest he had ever felt before, a gentle slope to the middle of his sternum. He thought again about how vulnerable Gil was here, and how if his hand were to sink deeper into Gil’s chest he would surely have hold of his heart.

  
Gil sighed and suddenly reminded Rowdy that he was spooning his boss. He carefully began to remove himself, but Gil’s hand came a firm grip in the dark, bringing Rowdy’s hand back to himself. Rowdy was shocked. Was Gil awake?!

  
“Rowdy go…herd to the river…” Gil murmured.

  
Rowdy let out a sigh of relief. This was the kind of stuff he heard every night after Mr. Favor fell asleep. Bossing him around, even in his dreams. Not one to deny a pleasure when available, Rowdy snuggled into Gil’s back, feeling more safe and comfortable than he had in months.

Gil Favor awoke feeling thoroughly rested. Though, there was some sort of weight on his chest, and that wasn’t normal. He cracked his eyes open to see the top of a dusty blonde head. He was surprised, yes, but not exactly upset. Rowdy must’ve gotten cold during the night or even shifted like this while sleeping somehow; now his head was resting on Gil’s chest, hands holding onto his johns. Gil smiled to himself and put a hand on Rowdy’s shoulder, rubbing it slowly.

  
Through the window Gil could see dawn blooming. The herd was waiting for him, so unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Gil squeezed Rowdy and tried as best he could to move without stirring him, but about halfway through he came to and hastily sat up.

  
“Mr. Favor I-I’m sorry! I dunno what happened...” Rowdy explained, seeming flustered but not exactly moving away. He hovered above Gil who was propped up on his elbows.

  
“No, no, it don’t bother me.” Gil chuckled.

  
Rowdy furrowed his eyebrows as they looked at each other. A weighted silence passed between the two men. Rowdy glanced down at Gil’s mouth and moved his left hand to the other side of Gil’s hip, bracketing him in. Rowdy drifted towards him but swayed in a moment of hesitation. Gil was just about to say something when Rowdy leaned towards him the rest of the way, just ghosting over his face to get to Gil’s exposed neck. There he pressed a tentative kiss, and then another. God, it felt sweet. Gil's eyes fluttered closed and he sighed as Rowdy kissed him, his breath hot on his neck. Rowdy began to kiss his way up to Gil’s face, but...

  
Gil put a hand against Rowdy’s chest to gently push him back, feeling his heart pounding just as much as his own. Rowdy blinked.

  
“...Save it for Sedalia.” Gil said, voice coming out husky, from just waking up or from the electricity between them, he wasn’t sure. He moved to get up and Rowdy let him go, silent.

  
Gil stretched for a moment and rubbed his arms in the chill, trying to shake it off. He glanced over his shoulder to see Rowdy still kneeling on the bed looking confused. Gil hadn’t realized it until that moment, but he wanted to kiss him, too. However, in the middle of the trail, so many miles in front and behind them, it was too much of a risk. If somethin' went wrong between the two of ‘em then their communication would be all off, and they’d end up jeopardizing the herd. He pulled his shirt on, still a little damp but it’d dry in the sun soon enough.

  
Gil stole another peek over his shoulder and Rowdy had collected himself, now tugging his jeans up around his hips. That boy was lean alright. And the way he stood hips-forward, well, it was hard to look away sometimes. He forced himself to focus on getting dressed.

  
Gil had anticipated Rowdy crowding him while they slept in the same bed--it was only natural when you’re used to only sleepin’ by a woman under the covers--but it didn’t annoy him as much as he thought. In fact, Gil quite liked his company when he wasn’t whinin’ about some girl. Thinking about the way he woke up with Rowdy in his arms made him feel warm all over. Almost like they were huddling for warmth, safe, away from the elements on the trail. He liked it when Rowdy was safe.

  
Gil and Rowdy remade the bed to the best of their ability (with only one awkward smile) and headed out of their room.

  
“Smells like breakfast,” Rowdy said.

  
“Why, yes, I was just finishing up these eggs for y’all! Please, eat as much as you like!” Sylvia turned around with an iron pan and dumped countless scrambled eggs onto a plate. Buck sat with a napkin tucked into his shirt, ready and waiting!

  
Sylvia handed the drivers plates and they eagerly helped themselves to the steaming hot bacon and beans already on the table. As everyone dug in, Rowdy bumped his leg against Gil’s to get his attention.

  
“I hope I didn’t bother ya none during the night.” he whispered.

  
“What? When?” Gil asked.

  
“Hmm,” Rowdy paused, “nevermind.” He continued eating.

  
Gil raised an eyebrow but decided not to press him on somethin’ he might’ve been embarrassed about. Maybe he’d find out later anyway, he figured. Rowdy had a hard time keepin’ his thoughts to himself.

-~-~-

Handing the drained coffee cup back to Sylvia, Gil stood next to Rowdy on the family’s porch. The sun was above the horizon now, a humidity setting in after the storm last night.

  
“Thank y’all for your lettin’ us stay here. We greatly appreciate it.” Rowdy said, “And Buck, you try to stay out of trouble.” He gave Buck a solid pat on the shoulder, smiling, and turned to leave.

  
Gil tipped his hat with a small smile and turned as well.

  
“Now you best be avoidin’ trouble too, Rowdy! Though I don’t think it’s possible!” Buck yelled at him, waving.

  
Rowdy grinned.

  
He and Gil fetched their horses from the stables and were back in the saddle once more. As they trotted out of town, Rowdy slowed his horse and Gil followed suit, waiting to see what was up.

  
“I’m gonna hold ya to it,” Rowdy looked at Gil, his eyes saying more than his words, “I’ll be waitin’ until Sedalia, okay?”

  
Gil smirked and sat up with a hand to the back of his hat, “Me too, Rowdy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading about some cowboys with feelings :) Kudos + comments much appreciated!!


End file.
